Closing Hour
by Babylon's Queen
Summary: AU. The Winter War finally ends when Soul Society's remaining Captain faces off against Aizen's only surviving Espada. Character Death


Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Orihime bit her lip and brushed her sweaty bangs from her vision. Her lip was swollen and her ribs positively ached from the previous battle, but none of that mattered. If she fell, then Soul Society fell.

"... but Captain, we can't just leave you!" Harunobu began, aghast. Orihime calmly turned to the brunette and gave him her most patient smile. Her eyes however, glowed in their firmness.

"As my lieutenant it is your duty to follow my orders. Remember, if this Arrancar falls, the war will end," she reminded him. Her gaze softened considerably as she studied the small ragtag group consisting of her remaining officers and wounded Soul Reapers.

"Right now I need you to lead the others to the rendezvous point. Take the the underground passage. I'll buy you some time," Orihime told them firmly, turning back to the barricade that was slowly being decimated by the enemy. She was so distracted that when her lieutenant stepped closer and pulled her into a brief but fierce hug and then kissed her forehead, she was completely caught off guard.

"Harunobu," Orihime murmured, a light blush forming on her cheeks. But there was no more time for words and after a moment the last of the group had filed out, leaving Orihime all alone. Taking a deep breath, she summoned her inner strength for the battle that was sure to come.

As the Captain of the Fourth Division, she had a duty to not only mend the wounded but defend life: her home and her beliefs. Grimly she watched as the barricade before her was slowly cut in to two. The enemy certainly didn't waste any time. Grasping her Zanpakuto, the Shun Shun Rika gems shimmered in the hilt as they caught the light. As if sensing that this would be her last stand, the sword emanated it's strength and power.

A green light completely blew the remains of the barrier away revealing her adversary, the Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer. Even after Aizen had fallen, this Arrancar had remained. Orihime narrowed her eyes and braced her posture.

The Espada paused however, when he saw her and calmly came forward. Orihime frowned.

"So it is you Woman who will be the last Captain to fall," he greeted and raised a finger at her.

"How fitting, the last of the Arrancar facing the Last of Soul Society's Captains," he murmured and fired a green cero at her. Summoning her shield, Orihime's Zanpakuto deflected the attack by slashing it in half. Using her shunpo, she rushed at the Espada only for him to counter with his own blade.

"You still don't remember, do you?" he asked her quietly as their blades clashed. Orihime's fierce grey eyes met his empty green ones. She could almost see her reflection in it.

"I remember enough," she told him just as quietly and leaped back when he followed through with a high parry that decimated the ground she had been standing on. The fourth division's barracks came crumbling down but none of that mattered.

Staring at the pale Arrancar, Orihime's memory was swept up into the distant past. Decades had past, maybe even a century. It was hard for her to recall her human memories but the white walls of Las Noches still burned in her mind along with Ulquiorra's vow to rip out her heart. She was sure that she was getting through to him. She might have even reached him... if only she hadn't collapsed and been obliterated by Hollow Ichigo's cero. She could still see herself reaching out to Ulquiorra before the red blast of energy had swallowed her up.

"I was never afraid of you," Orihime told him as their blades clashed once again. Ulquiorra leaned towards her and studied her eyes deeply. It was like death staring her down. She knew she was going to die no matter what she did, so with trepidation in her heart she closed her eyes and leaned towards him, pressing her lips quickly but firmly against his. Ulquiorra remained unmoving but Orihime refused to back away. Her innards twisted as she thought about just who she was doing this with. In the end though, she supposed everything was a moot point. Her comrades were already dead, slain in a war that should have ended ages ago. What did it matter if she was kissing her enemy and a hollow?

If her last act was reaching this Espada and _getting through to him_ , than let her last moments be damned, she was going to do it. She would make a difference.

Knowing that she was vulnerable and that he could strike her down at any moment, Orihime nevertheless dropped her Zanpakuto in favor of cupping his jaw with her hands and moving her lips insistently against his. After a few moments he responded in kind, mimicking her movements before taking it a step further and dipping his tongue in to possess her mouth. Orihime mewed slightly when the Arrancar's sword disappeared and was replaced by his cold, stiff arms wrapping themselves around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

After a few moments, she forced herself to part from him despite his obvious reluctance in favor of some much needed oxygen.

"Do you understand now?" she asked breathless from her physical excitement. Ulquiorra stared at her silently.

"The heart?" she prompted slightly and moved to wrap her arms around him just as tightly, tucking her head beneath his chin. She felt more than saw him nod.

"Good," Orihime sighed and closed her eyes to summon her Zanpakuto.

A moment later the blade came sailing threw the air, only to impale Ulquiorra and her from behind. The attack was incredibly painful but Orihime tried to focus on the creature in front of her.

Using the last of her strength, she sent her purifying spiritual powers into the hollow before her.

"Woman, you..." Ulquiorra's green eyes were wide and full of shock. She was sure that he would retaliate in some way, but he didn't. Orihime felt her own eyes begin to close as the last of her strength dwindled.

"Perhaps we'll find eachother in the next life," she slurred. A yellow light engulfed them both.

When it finally faded, the only thing left was the blade of Mucielago.

The war had finally ended.


End file.
